HOA Management Blog
When your community is recruiting new HOA board members, there are certain qualities to look for in prospective members and good strategies for getting these individuals involved.
Good Attention to Detail and the Big Picture
Good candidates for your HOA board are people who can delve into the details while keeping an eye on the big issues. Board members must be willing to spend time reviewing and understanding the details of their governing documents. They also should be people who commit to frequently evaluating and refining their HOA's big picture plans for the community.
A well-focused board of directors is efficient, productive, and in most cases, a pleasure to work with. The board of directors sets the tone for how things get accomplished and how the HOA is maintained overall. But what happens when one, or more, of your directors has personality issues with the rest, or even worse, what if he/she has a hidden agenda and is self-serving? Bogged down in disagreements, nothing really ever gets accomplished. Sound familiar? Read on.
Here are 6 Signs your board member(s) may be a problem:
The Board of Directors (BOD) for your homeowners association has an immense financial obligation to the community. One of the BOD’s most important jobs is to keep legible and accurate financial reports and records. These reports and records provide an overview of your community’s revenue and expenses against its financial projections or budget.
An HOA functions like a mini-city, collecting funds, managing finances, maintaining facilities and adopting and enforcing rules. An elected board of directors oversees these activities. Board members have fiduciary responsibilities, defined in law and HOA documents. All these activities and responsibilities apply to an HOA whether it has 1,000 units or only 25.
Thus, HOAs are complex, requiring professional expertise to manage properly. The question is, who will be the HOA manager to do this? Before assuming that members of the board can manage all of the HOA’s affairs, let’s look at what’s involved in more detail.
It’s important for an HOA board to work on ending the year well. It doesn’t matter if your homeowners association plans around the fiscal or calendar year, the questions below apply to both. It’s not too late to ask yourself some of these questions and make a resolution to do these things in the New Year to come.
As a volunteer of the Board of Directors, you have the opportunity to help the homeowners in your community through issues that impact one of their biggest investments. Unfortunately, at times, owners forget that you are a volunteer of the Board and not a full-time employee. It’s very important to set boundaries with homeowners and fellow HOA board members on the appropriate time to discuss HOA related issues and do HOA related tasks.
Are you an HOA board member? Do you have questions about legal requirements or making sure you have enough reserves for your homeowners association? This free seminar is designed for you!
Join us on Thursday November 2, 2017 at Canyon Oaks Country Club, 999 Yosemite Drive in Chico, California. There will be a Reception from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. and dinner at 6 p.m.
One of the most important jobs a homeowners association Board has to do is to enforce the rules of the Association. As a Board member it is part of your duty to make sure all the regulations are followed by homeowners and the Board itself. Failure to do so can lead to chaos and confusion in your community.
Finding members in your homeowners association who want to volunteer on the HOA board can be hard – finding a member to step up and become the board president is even harder. So, what do you do when the current president passes away, you don’t have a lot people in your community involved with the board, and your current board members are concerned that hiring an HOA manager will only cause the company to take over the Association?
The Board of Directions of an Association is responsible for protecting, maintaining and enhancing the community. Knowing who the members of the Board are and having a basic understanding of what they do is a good way for all members of the Association to stay informed.
As a member of an HOA board you have many responsibilities. One of the most important and least understood by many Board members is the Executive Session. A good understanding of this matter may save headaches in the long run and keep the Board out of thorny situations.
Since a new year is about to begin, this may be a good time for the HOA board to communicate with the Association members about several ways they can help make the community an even better place to live in the next year and beyond. See the list below for ideas to get you started.
